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French hermit Adalbert De Vogue interviewed

Adalbert De Vogue (born 1924) has been a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Pierre-qui-Vire, France, since 1944. In 1974 he entered a hermitage on the abbey grounds and has remained a hermit since, researching and writing histories of monasticism and the monks of antiquity and the early Middle Ages.

A rare half-hour video interview (of a young Adalbert) titled “Se vaincre soi-même” or “To Conquer the Self” was produced by CBC Television (Canada) and is available at http://www.dieu-parmi-nous.com/R/dom.adalbert.de.vogue.wmv. For best results, download the video rather than attempt to launch it from the website: right click the link and select “Save Target As” or “Save Link As.”

Thanks to friend of Hermitary for bringing it to our attention.

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Appeal of silence

An article in the Independent titled “Holidays: the Appeal of Silence” summarizes the growing interest in retreat settings:

Monasteries and convents are reporting a surge in enquiries for their “tester” long weekends, where spiritually-hungry visitors can sample a life of silence. Secular retreat centres are also booming. And on the internet, would-be hermits can now book solitude by the week.

Mentions Father Cyril, novice master of the Carthusian St. Hugh’s Charterhouse in England and Canadian Anglican priest Cynthia Bourgeault.

URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/uk/holidays-the-appeal-of-silence-1631232.html

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Ray on “Forest Dwelling Yogi”

Podcast episode 105 of Buddhist Geeks is titled “The Forest Dwelling Yogi” and interviews Reginald Ray on

the forest dwelling meditator, a category of practitioner outside of the normal lay / monastic dichotomy.  In particular we look at the role that retreat — both group and solitary — plays for the type of practitioner that does intensive retreat but is not a full-time practitioner.

Ray notes how the solitary retreat opens new space in self-awareness, and enhances awareness of one’s body and of details of our physical environment.

URL: http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/236-buddhist-geeks/episodes/26539-forest-dwelling